In light of the boiling issue of racism and discrimination in the United States, actress Gabrielle Union says that she wants to have a talk with supermodel Kate Upton and fellow actress Amy Schumer on the issue of white privilege that they enjoy and the oppressive systems in place for them to avoid making any insensitive remark on the matter.
The actress revealed that she has already spoken to American actress, writer, producer, and director Lena Dunham and shared her views about racial injustice and sexism.
In a recent interview, Union said that in order to begin to see change start to occur, they have to be willing to have conversations with people who have different opinions as theirs.
She said that after talking to Lena Dunham, she would like to have a chat with Kate Upton and Amy Schumer and explain the oppressive systems that have benefitted and allowed them to say careless, insensitive, and offensive things against people of color.
The actress said that those conversations are awkward and often get heated but she is willing to share them her thoughts, notes Essence.
Union recently wrote a powerful op-ed about “Birth of a Nation” director Nate Parker and her own sexual assault.
She also said in the interview that she chooses to define sexuality differently and people have to figure out what they are comfortable with.
Disrespecting the people that protect Americans
Kate Upton got into a controversy about racism when she recently condemned four Miami Dolphin players who knelt during the singing of the American national anthem before a football game.
The 24-year-old supermodel posted on her Instagram account the picture of the four Dolphin players and wrote that the actions of the athletes are a disgrace to those people who have served and currently serving the United States, details lfppress.com.
The four Miami Dolphin players are running back Arian Foster, outside linebacker Jelani Jenkins, free safety Michael Thomas, and wide receiver Kenny Stills.
The football players were down on their right knee as the song played before the Dolphins’ 12-10 loss to the Seahawks in Seattle on September 11, a historical day in the United States.
Their decision not to stand during the national anthem was the latest in a series of protests undertaken by a number of professional athletes in recent weeks, with San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick beginning the demonstration prior to a preseason game last month.
Kaepernick’s protest was emulated by a number of athletes who refused to stand during the national anthem. He continued his protest on September 11 with his teammate Eric Reid while Antoine Bethea and Eli Harold raised their fists in the air.
The San Francisco 49ers quarterback’s protests have engendered a dialogue about racism in America amid growing racial tensions and instances of police brutality. The Black Lives Matter movement launched in 2013 continues to gain momentum and has garnered support from some of the most high-profile artists in the world after fatal shootings of black citizens by police.
Needs to remember the lessons of 9/11
Upton, who is engaged to Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander, specifically condemned the players’ actions as more horrific because they occurred on the 15th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
She said that she could never imagine multiple people sitting down during the national anthem on the September 11th anniversary, adding that lessons of 9/11 should teach Americans that if they come together, the world can be a better and more peaceful place.
But Gabrielle Union feels that the supermodel went overboard with some of her remarks because the action of the athletes was not meant to disrespect the American flag, the national anthem, or the people who serve the US military but to raise the issue of racism and discrimination now happening in various parts of the country.
One of the athletes who support the protest also tweeted to debunk Kate Upton’s claim that what they are doing is un-American.